‘I don't know what took ahold of me’: Employee asks coworker about their retirement plans, only to discover he is 36 years old, avoids that coworker until they quit

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Sep 18, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

We've all experienced moments in which we've embarrassed ourselves to the point in which we did not want to leave our house anymore. Some people even have nightmares about awkward interactions they had with other people, and they cannot help but feel haunted by the experience. 

Luckily, on most occasions, when enough time passes, we get to a point in which we can laugh about those embarrassing moments, and then we get Reddit stories like this silly one. OP (original poster) worked with a guy she was sure was close to retirement, as everything about his appearance implied he was at the end of his 50s. One day, completely innocently, OP asked her coworker about his retirement plans, only for him to look at her with a hurt look and inform her he was 36 years old. Safe to say OP did her best to avoid him until her last day at the job…

Scroll down to read the full amusing story. After you are done, click here for a funny collection of relatable memes.

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  • 01
    RK RETIREA "I'm never doing that again..." WORK
    via olm26250
  • 02
    TIFU by asking my coworker when he would retire
    via blurredspace
  • 03
    this didnt happen today but a few months ago, i still cringe about it every so often though. I worked as a pastry chef apprentice at a hotel and as
    via blurredspace
  • 04
    everyone knows; the work is grueling. like the stereotypes go, i started smoking and my health went to s ... i gained 10kgs from stress even though i was more active than ever, my bosses were
    via blurredspace
  • 05
    who made us work 12hr shifts even though i was legally. not allowed to but i digress- after a year i couldn't do it anymore and decided to quit. in my last
    via blurredspace
  • 06
    month i got a bit more relaxed, knowing i was leaving and all. on one of my last shifts i was making pretzels with another pastry coworker and the baker.
    via blurredspace
  • 07
    he had the worst shift of all- 4am til 12pm. he was pretty heavyset, huge smoker and drinker. he told me he had been at that hotel for 10 years, worked as a pastry chef
    via blurredspace
  • 08
    before switching to baking. he had done both pastry and baking apprenticeships (3yrs each) all in all i assumed he was nearing the end of his 50's- looks wise as
    via blurredspace
  • 09
    well. he was balding and generally looked.. older... and from the way he talked i just assumed hes had a long career beforehand yknow? so, in passing
    via blurredspace
  • 10
    i asked him when he was thinking about retiring. both him and the other coworker freeze, look at each other and then he looks at me- i cant really read his expression.
    via blurredspace
  • 11
    "im 36 years old" he tells me. i wanted to d so bad in that moment. rest assured we didn't talk much after that lol im so glad i never have to go back. while i
    via blurredspace
  • 12
    loved the work, knowing that the industry and stress can do one that dirty... good god, shout out to all gastro workers fr
    via blurredspace
  • 13
    tl;dr: asked my coworker about when he was retiring, not knowing he's about 25+ years away from doing so
    via blurredspace
  • 14
    • dreadpiratew 1d ago File this one away for the first time someone asks you when you will retire. Tell them straight-faced "I'm 36 years old." Then pause as long as possible before cracking up
    via dreadpiratew
  • 15
    blurredspace OP • 1d ago i like the way you think hahahah
    via blurredspace
  • 16
    aurorasearching • 1d ago I narrowly avoided this once. I had a coworker who's a bit heavy, gray hair, whiskey & cigarette voice, moves a bit slow, I thought he was in his mid 60s. One Friday I asked what he was doing this
    via aurorasearching
  • 17
    weekend and he told me he was celebrating his birthday. I was about to ask if he was turning old enough to retire, when he told me "yep, my wife wants to take me somewhere nice this year
    via aurorasearching
  • 18
    since I had to work last year on my 40th." The oil fields ground this dude into an old man before 40.
    via aurorasearching
  • 19
    CorgiMan13 • 22h ago I'm in my low 30s and I'm constantly talking about my retirement plans.
    via CorgiMan13
  • 20
    snoopervisor • 21h ago I once addressed a woman "ma'am". She let me go in dentist's office before her. Only after I walked out, and she went in I recognised her. My classmate I didn't see for 2 years. We were both 17 at the time. She looked MUCH older with hair dyed black and heavy makeup.
    via snoopervisor
  • 21
    bubbafatok 20h ago My hair went gray/white in my 20s. Since my mid 30's, if I grow my beard out, I get people asking me when I am gonna retire, or how long I've been retired. It happens.
    via bubbafatok
  • 22
    ChefArtorias 18h ago • You definitely could've played this off as a joke if executed right.
    via ChefArtorias
  • 23
    allwein 19h ago Oof, this ranks right up there with asking a non-pregnant woman when the baby is due.
    via allwein
  • 24
    Artistic_Pin_8326 • 1d ago Nah asking someone when they're retiring is crazy, fam
    via Artistic_Pin_8326
  • 25
    blurredspace OP ⚫ 1d ago Im never doing it again idk what devil took ahold of me
    via blurredspace
  • 26
    Artistic_Pin_8326 • 1d ago Ruthless much?
    via Artistic_Pin_8326
  • 27
    blurredspace OP • 1d ago i felt so bad i just went 'oh sorry i' and he just waved it off... thank god we were already done w the pretzels they just had to go in the oven n then my shift was over
    via blurredspace

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life workplace-stories employee relatable embarrassing work coworkers reddit story ridiculous workplace silly tifu retirement Reddit funny
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